Health policies, entitlements grab headlines in GOP campaign coverage

Newt Gingrich's health policies are getting a thorough review as his standings in the polls improve. In the background, Mitt Romney blames President Barack Obama for the super committee's difficulties.

Boston Globe: Health Care? N.H. Residents Not Buying It
In this central New Hampshire working-class town, long a bellwether of Republican sentiment in the first-in-the-nation primary state, health care is an afterthought for many as they sort through their choices in the upcoming Republican primary. ... For those without insurance, health care is a patchwork of free and subsidized services (Schweitzer, 11/21).

Reuters: Gingrich Brushes Off Freddie, Leads Republican Race: Poll
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has roared into the lead of the Republican nominating race, brushing off concerns about his work for a troubled housing company, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed. Twenty-four percent of registered Republican voters would support the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives if the contest were held now, an increase of 8 percentage points from roughly a week ago, according to the poll, which was conducted on November 18-19 (Mason, 11/20).

NPR's SHOTS blog: Gingrich's History On Health Care Gets An Exam
[Gingrich] was happy to tout [the individual mandate] in that 2005 Talk of the Nation appearance. "Our goal has to be for 100 percent of the country to be in the insurance system," he said. "So that means finding ways through tax credits and through vouchers so that every American can buy insurance including, I think, a requirement that if you're above a certain level of income you have to either have insurance or post a bond" (Rovner, 11/18). 

Wall Street Journal:  Romney Blames Obama for Supercommittee Failure
With the so-called supercommittee at an impasse ahead of Wednesday's deadline, Mr. Romney blamed the president for the apparent failure of the bipartisan panel, which was tasked with finding savings in excess of $1.2 trillion. He also called on Mr. Obama to introduce legislation to restore $600 billion in defense spending that will be cut automatically if the panel fails to offer alternatives (O'Connor, 11/20).

Des Moines Register: Ron Paul: U.S. Interests Should Drive Military Actions
Social Security and Medicare programs could receive cuts within five to 10 years, but Paul said he has no immediate plans to end entitlement programs "for the children that are dependent, and for the elderly that are dependent." Working class and impoverished families would fare better under a system that didn't offer welfare benefits, he said (Stegmeir, 11/19). 

Des Moines Register: GOP Presidential Candidates Bare Souls At Emotional Forum In Iowa
One reason [former Sen. Rick Santorum's] running for president, he said, is a desire to overturn the health care reforms known as "Obamacare" and assure sick children have access to necessary care. Gingrich, too, wiped away tears talking about a boy born with a rare heart condition and brain tumors. His conclusion: "Do I want some bureaucracy deciding that on a percentage basis this is not worth the investment or do I want a country that cares about every life? THAT is what next year's all about," he said to whoops and applause (Jacobs, 11/19).